Chapter 1: Explanation (Part 1)
*Please note that this chapter jumps back in time seven years after the founding of Razek Amamiya, so please be aware.*
King Maxim of the Florece Kingdom was currently clutching his head internally, facing a document.
While he felt a sense of “what was to come has come,” it was only natural to wonder if something could be done to prevent it.
Seven years had already passed since his father, the King, declared his retirement.
Domestic affairs had proceeded smoothly, and they had managed to avoid any major trouble with neighboring countries.
However, with this news, the previously peaceful domestic situation might become turbulent.
His true feelings were to ask for a little more time, but he understood the reasons why that wasn’t possible.
The sender of the document also had their own circumstances.
He felt so grateful that they had managed to hold out this long.
The document was from the neighboring Ayrica Kingdom.
It was written by King Ossian.
Currently, they maintained a very normal relationship, without any major troubles like war.
This was the result of the previous King Philip and King Ossian’s extraordinary efforts in improving relations, believing that no further mistakes should be made.
Maxim, too, without letting those efforts go to waste, was carrying on his father’s will and took care not to ignite any unnecessary conflicts.
One of those efforts was the exchange of “personal letters” between the kings of both countries.
This practice, where they exchanged personal letters almost as if they were pen pals, was done to minimize misunderstandings as much as possible.
When there were no major events, the contents could sometimes be like normal personal correspondence.
The personal letter sent this time, amidst very ordinary small talk, contained a certain phrase.
That phrase was related to Razek Amamiya.
Specifically, it stated that the decision to officially establish a Crown Branch within the Ayrica Kingdom was likely to be made within the year.
There was a clear reason why King Ossian had gone to the trouble of informing him via personal letter.
First, the King of Razek Amamiya was Floria, Maxim’s niece.
He was making sure that the Ayrica Kingdom, by establishing a Crown Branch before the Florece Kingdom, would not harbor any concerns, even beyond their blood relation.
In the first place, from an official standpoint, Razek Amamiya and the Crown were merely a nation and an organization operating within it.
However, it was unlikely that anyone involved in managing a nation in this world would consider it merely a relationship between a nation and a guild.
After all, in both cases, the direct cause of their current state involved an Avatar.
Considering that connection, anyone could probably infer that the two were closely related.
Therefore, he was showing consideration to King Maxim, who was related by blood to the Queen of Razek Amamiya, one of the two parties involved.
The fundamental problem lay with the Florece Kingdom, which had been unable to establish a Crown Branch within its borders for so long.
There were several reasons for this, but the biggest factor was the existence of the Teleport Gate.
There was no shortage of people arguing that the Teleport Gate, needed for the staff to use for the establishment of a Crown Branch, could pose a threat to the Florece Kingdom.
And indeed, that was understandable.
After all, it could instantly send personnel from the Central Continent, which should be a distant continent.
Even if they explicitly stated that they would not use it in such a manner, it was natural for a nation to be suspicious.
If the military were not to voice such concerns, that would be the more problematic situation.
In the Sumit Kingdom on the South Continent, all these issues were accepted, and trade continued successfully.
However, that country had a special circumstance involving something called Furie Grass.
It was in a way natural that the Florece Kingdom, lacking such circumstances, had been stuck in long discussions without resolving the Teleport Gate issue.
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At a meeting of high-ranking officials, King Maxim relayed the movements of the Ayrica Kingdom.
As expected, an argument erupted once again regarding the acceptance of the Crown Branch.
Those with opposing views claimed that they could not accept it under the current terms.
However, the Crown stated that they would not change the conditions for using the Teleport Gate at all.
Both sides harbored concerns about the use of the Teleport Gate.
“In any case, we cannot accept terms that allow the Crown to unilaterally use the Teleport Gate!”
This was the assertion of a military official.
The military argued for an expansion of the personnel quota to allow for the deployment of a large number of soldiers in case of an emergency.
They were not hesitant to establish the Teleport Gate; quite the opposite.
“You keep saying that the Crown will not agree to that, don’t you?”
The departments involved in trade were largely in favor of the military’s opposition.
The trade goods from the Central Continent that came directly through the Teleport Gate were extremely attractive to them.
However, they could not make a strong argument against the military.
They understood that establishing a Crown Branch would benefit the country, but they also understood the military’s stance.
There were no opinions questioning the point of seeking permission from the Crown in the first place.
It was known that the Teleport Gate was a function of Amamiya Tower, but since it was understood that the Crown was operated by those who managed the tower, it was thought that the Teleport Gate issue would be resolved if Crown’s permission was obtained.
“With things turning out this way, the peculiar system of that continent is actually holding us back,” the Prime Minister, seated next to Maxim, muttered as he watched the two sides argue.
The General was probably thinking of using Razek Amamiya politically to somehow change the Crown’s opinion.
In other words, it would be to have Queen Floria pressure the Crown to accept terms favorable to them, but Razek Amamiya’s unique political system made this difficult.
In nations with monarchies outside the Central Continent, one could influence not only the king directly but also exert pressure through the nobles around him.
The higher the rank of the noble, the more effective this method would be.
However, for Razek Amamiya, this method was almost entirely ineffective.
Nobles did exist on the Central Continent.
They did have titles of nobility, but those titles were not strictly related to Razek Amamiya.
Titles of nobility were originally granted by the king of a nation.
While other continents followed this principle in conferring titles, it was not the case on the Central Continent.
After all, titles of nobility existed even before the nation of Razek Amamiya, that is, the Royal Family, came into being.
There were historical reasons for the existence of titles of nobility on the continent that had no king before Razek Amamiya was founded.
Reasons varied, such as allowing countries on each continent to grant titles of nobility to demonstrate their influence, or adopting titles of nobility to ward off pressure from other continents.
However, those titles were dependent on their respective towns and villages.
It was common on the Central Continent to identify oneself as, or be recognized as, a “Baron of XX Town” when visiting other towns or villages.
Even after Razek Amamiya was founded, this system of titles of nobility remained unchanged.
Normally, one would have expected such titles to be revoked, and for Queen Floria to grant them, but Razek Amamiya did not take that approach.
It was speculated externally that this was due to fear of backlash from the nobles by having them return their titles, or fear of civil unrest resulting from it.
Queen Floria has not announced which is correct, but King Maxim believes any of them could be correct.
After all, not a single rebellion-like incident had occurred since the nation was established when incorporating surrounding towns and villages.
By normal standards, this would be unthinkable.
The analysis from various countries was that this was because the status (titles of nobility) of the nobles who governed the towns and villages was guaranteed.
As a result, Queen Floria’s power within her country should be weaker compared to other nations. However, the Queen’s power, being trusted by the Avatar, has not weakened at all compared to other countries.
On the contrary, their unique political system made it difficult for external influences to take root.
As the Prime Minister had thought, even if nobles on the Central Continent were offered money or benefits to defect or voice opposition, the Queen would feel no pain.
Of course, if all towns and villages were to suddenly defect from Razek Amamiya, it would be a significant blow, but that was not realistic.
At most, they could only influence the nobles of a single city, and for Razek Amamiya, that extent was not a major concern.
It would be a different story if they could influence the town within the tower, the heart of their domain, but that was impossible.
After all, that town was under the Queen’s direct jurisdiction.
If they could voice their opinions to the Queen from the outset, there would be no need for such an indirect method.
Furthermore, regarding the Crown issue, it was uncertain whether appealing to the Queen would be effective.
Although the Crown was ostensibly an organization operating within the country, it operated with the trust of the Avatar, just like the Queen.
Moreover, it was unlikely that the Queen would accept a proposal that threatened the nation.
In the end, it meant that changing the conditions for accepting the Crown would be extremely difficult.
“…Still, it’s a hassle that I can’t just shut them down domestically by saying it’s impossible,” he muttered inadvertently so that the high-ranking officials around him wouldn’t hear. The Prime Minister, seated next to him, seemed to have heard his words and nodded gravely in agreement.
Next will be the story from the Ayrica Kingdom’s side.
We will discuss why the Ayrica Kingdom was ready to accept the Crown, despite the Florece Kingdom’s strong opposition.
